1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fluid valves, and more specifically to a valve for inflation and deflation of an air-containing bag.
2. Description of Related Art
Goods are shipped all over the world in a variety of containers. The goods may travel via air, sea or land. Thus, the container might be, without limitation, an aircraft, ship, railcar, road vehicle such as a trailer truck, or a shipping container within any of these.
During transit, goods are subject to forces that can cause movement within their container. Aircraft are buffeted by winds, as are rail and road vehicles. Ships are at the mercy of swelling seas. Additionally, forces are exerted when vehicles turn, or in some cases, move up and down. Such forces, if uncontained, may cause destruction of, and/or damage to, the goods being transported.
While goods may be packed together tightly to reduce destruction from movement caused by external forces, packages are often of sizes that are different, or even irregular, and attempting to securely stack such packages in a container is often difficult. Void spaces within the containers provide the opportunity for motion of packages.
Accordingly, it is typical to fill gaps between stacked packages with air cushioning bags that can be inflated to a selected size to restrain the load in place. Once a location for delivery of the packages has been reached, the air cushioning bags must be deflated to allow access for removal of the goods from the container.
One previous approach to overcoming the above-referenced problem is a pressure relief valve that allows for removal of excess pressure from an air-containing device. However, while such a device works well to expel excess air, it opens only to expel air, not to allow air into the air bag.
Other devices are spring loaded, wherein pressure opens the valve, but seal automatically once pressure is released. However, in order to vent the air bag, it is necessary to depress, and inconveniently hold, a portion of the valve open to permit egress of the air within the air bag.
Yet other devices allow for locking the device in an open position to allow egress of the air contained in the air bag. However, such devices often act against a spring and are difficult to manually turn without a specific tool designed for turning the insert within the body of the device.
Therefore, it is readily apparent that there is a need for an air bag valve that allows inflation and deflation, and that is readily operable with simple everyday ubiquitous tools.